Apparatus for handling sheets



Nov. 23, 1965 J. G. PINAUD APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Filed June 11,1963 3 SheetsSheet 1 'II/Ill/II/IlIII/IIIIIIIII/lIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIII ,gwvi g V INVE/l/ 70R 5} W,O@-4 ATTOIQ/VEXJ Nov. 23, 1965 J. G. PINAUDAPPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 11, 1963 Nov.23, 1965 J. G. PINAUD 3,219,216

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS Filed June 11. 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTaEA/E y s United States Patent 3,219,216 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETSJean G. Pinaud, Saint-Etienne, Loire, France, assignor to Compagnie desAteliers et Forges de la Loire, Paris,

This invention relates to apparatus for handling sheets of metal or thelike, and more specifically to handling apparatus whereby heavy sheetscan be turned over rapidly and safely.

Conventional handling apparatus for heavy gage metal sheets, as usedespecially for turning over the sheets for treatment in rolling millsand the like, generally comprise clamping means adapted to grip one sideedge of the sheet and attached to hoisting apparatus. The latter isoperated to lift the clamping means and the edge of the sheet gripped byit so as to raise the sheet of the ground and then to ease the sheetdown eg in inverted condition, assuming the purpose of the handlingoperation is to turn the sheet over. During the period the sheet israised clear of its support on the floor the sheet is retainedexclusively by the engagement of its uppermost edge with the clampingmeans, so that in the event of failure of the latter the sheet willnecessarily drop to the ground with consequent hazard to personnel andequipment. Also, in case of a clumsy manoeuvering of the hoisting gearit can happen that the lower edge of the sheet touches the groundsurface before the proper time, causing premature disengagement of theclamping means and release of the sheet.

Objects of this invention are to provide improved handling apparatus forsheets, whereby heavyweight sheets can be turned over and otherwisehandled with increased safety and positive assurance against untimelyrelease; the provision of such apparatus in which the forces of gravityare utilized in an improved manner to achieve safer operation andfacilitate the rnanoeuvering of hoisting gear for the turning over ofthe sheet; the provision of such handling apparatu which will be simple,strong and economical, and minimize floor space requirements.

According to a broad aspect of the invention improved sheet handlingapparatus comprises first gripping means, such as a first pair of spacedhooks, engageable with one side edge of a sheet; second gripping meanssuch as a second pair of spaced hooks engageable with the opposite sideedge of the sheet; flexible cable means attached to the first grippingmeans and extending slidably through guide passage means provided in thesecond gripping means; and hoisting apparatus connectable to said cablemeans beyond said guide passage means. Thus, operation of the hoistingapparatus will lift the second gripping means or hooks together withsaid opposite sheet edge gripped thereby above the first gripping meansor hooks and the one sheet edge gripping thereby, and gravity willretain both gripping means in positive engagement with the related edgesof the sheet.

Further important aspects and features of the invention will appear asthe disclosure proceeds. An exemplary embodiment of the invention willnow be described for purposes of illustration but not of limitation withreference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGS. 1 to 5 are simplified views, in elevation, of improved sheethandling apparatus according to the invention in various stages of theprocess involved in turning over a metal sheet upon its supports;

FIG. 6 is an overhead plan view corresponding to FIG. 1.

Referring especially to FIGS. 1 and 6, the handling de- 3,219,216Patented Nov. 23, 1965 ice vice of the invention in the embodiment showncomprises a pair of hook members 1 adapted to engage one side of thesheet 2, and a pair of hook members 3 adapted to engage the oppositeside of the sheet. Preferably the two spaced hook members in each of thepairs 1 and 3 are interconnected by suitable balancing means, not shown.It will also be understood that where the invention is applied to sheetsof relatively short length, a single gripping member or hook may beprovided for engagement with each of the opposite side edges of thesheet instead of the two members shown.

Cable means schematically indicated at 4 are provided, one end thereofbeing attached to the hook means 1 in any suitable manner, such as bymeans of the pins 5. The opposite hooking members 3 are each providedwith a guide passage 6 formed in a side thereof. The guide passage 6 hasoutwardly flaring side walls 7 and 8 providing a diverging outletaperture with rounded sides. The passage 6 is laterally offset withrespect to the hooking portion of the member 3 for reasons that willpresently appear. The cable means 4 extending from their points ofattachment 5 with the hook members 1 are passed through the guidepassages 6 in the hook members 3, below the under surface of the sheet 2supported on ground supports such as sillS A and B, and the far end ofthe table means at 4' is adapted to be connected, e.g. through asuitable balance beam, with hoisting apparatus not shown, e.g. atravelling crane.

In using the apparatus described for turning over the sheet 2 upon itsground supports A and B, after the two pairs of hook members 1 and 2have first been engaged with the opposite side edges of the sheet in themanner shown, the hoisting apparatus is operated to raise the cable 4 asindicated by the arrow L in FIG. 1. The sheet is thus lifted in themanner indicated in FIG. 2, the hooking members 3 being lifted off theground first, with the cable 4 engaging the upper side walls 7 of theguide passages 6, while the hook members 1 remain trailing on theground. The hoisting movement being continued, as the trailing hookingmembers 1 are lifted clear of the ground as shown in FIG. 3, the sheet 2of its own accord swings to a position lying to the opposite side of thenow substantially vertical cable 4, as will be clear from FIG. 3. Thisis due to the fact that the guide passages 6 in the upper hookingmembers 3 are olfset laterally with respect to the line of applicationof the hooking portions of the members engaging the edge of the sheet,so that when the suspended assembly assumes its condition of balance inwhich its centre of gravity is vertically aligned with the vertical axisof suspension of the overhead part 4 of the cable, the sheet is angledbeyond the vertical. In this condition the gripping members 3 act toretain the sheet against overturning and dropping, the cable 4 now beingin engagement with the opposite side 8 of the passages 6. The roundedend portions of the sides 7 and 8 of the passages prevent damage to thecable.

If the hoisting gear is now lowered it will be clear that the sheet canbe eased to the ground in inverted condition as compared to its originalstate. Assuming it is desired to turn the sheet over while keeping it inthe same horizontal location as originally, the hoisting apparatus isdisplaced as indicated by the arrow T in order to bring the lowergripping members to a position corresponding to the initial position ofthe upper gripping members 3, as indicated in FIG. 4, and is thenlowered as indicated by the arrow D. The gripping members 1 and the edgeof the sheet supported by them are thus eased on to the ground supportsA and B, after which the sheet rocks about said edge as a fulcrum untilit is brought to the horizontal inverted position shown in FIG. 5. Thegripping members 1 and 3 are then easily disengaged from the sheet,completing the operation.

It will be noted that the turning over operation as described can beperformed in a minimum of floor space, no greater than the widthdimension of the sheet. The process is completely safe since the sheetis at all times positively supported from below and, moreover, prematurelowering of the sheet into contact with the ground will not result in apremature release of the sheet due to the fact that the sheet issimultaneously being retained at its upper edge. Thus the forces ofgravity are at all times in action throughout the process to ensure safeand 001- proof operation. The force of gravity is furthermore takenadvantage of to produce the desired automatic reversal of the sheetwhile suspended due to the aforementioned lateral displacement of theguide passage 6 for the cable with respect to the point of grippingengagement of the hook member with the sheet. This further facilitatesthe hoist manoeuvering operations. An additional advantage of theapparatus disclosed is that in view of the sliding engagement of thecable 4 with the upper gripping members 3, the apparatus willautomatically adjust itself to sheets of varying width.

It will be apparent that various modifications may be introduced intothe embodiment shown withoutexceeding the scope of the invention. Thus,the hook members could easily be redesigned in such a manner that thecable-means 4 shall extend over rather than under the sheet in itsinitial condition, this involving primarily a recontouring of the walls7 and 8 of the guide passages 6 in the upper gripping members to ensurethe desired reversal of the sheet while suspended.

What I claim is:

A method for turning a sheet lying flat on a surface comprising engagingone edge of said sheet with a first hooking means, engaging the oppositeedge of said sheet with a second hooking means, attaching one end of acable means to said first hooking means, extending said cable meansslidably through a guide passage on aid second hooking means whichpassage is laterally and downwardly off-set with respect to the line ofengagement of said second hooking member and said opposite sheet edge,suspending said sheet by raising the opposite end of said cable wherebysaid sheet is rocked by gravity to a partially inverted position, andlowering said sheet to lie fiat on said surface in an inverted position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 665,499 1/1901Baldt 294-73 X 846,337 3/1907 McFarland. 1,373,349 3/1921 Peardon 24841,618,557 2/1927 Sims. 1,824,027 9/ 1931 Lundquist 294-74 3,034,632 5/1962 Wampler. 3,047,916 8/1962 OBrien 2143 14 X FOREIGN PATENTS 209,0335/ 1960 Austria.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

